1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seed bed preparation apparatus for preparing longitudinally spaced, rows of soil in a residue laden field for seeding and, more particularly, to strip-till, seed bed preparation apparatus which includes individually adjustable and controllable, laterally spaced apart, gang assemblies that can each be vertically adjusted to till, to the same depth, longitudinally extending, laterally spaced strips of soil at different elevations.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objects
For many years, residue laden farm land was prepared for seeding by a plurality of different farm implements including plows which turn surface sod and residue laden surface soil into furrows; disks which thereafter cut the turned sod and residue; and harrows which further reduce and pulvarize the soil. These farm implements, although still utilized, have fallen into disfavor in many areas because of the errosion associated with the earlier farming implements and methods.
Rather than plow the soil with conventional plows, farmers now sometimes utilize so-called "no-till" tools which include ground penetrating bars that penetrate and break up, or shatter, the soil without turning it. Rather than tilling the entire field, such machines will till laterally spaced, longitudinally extending strips of soil where the seed will be planted in laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows. This practice minimizes the disruption to the soil surface which is subject to erosion by wind and water. Such machines may include a rotatable disk for cutting the surface soil ahead of a soil penetrating blade which mounts a sub-surface, soil lifting tool.
Other farm implements have included so-called sub-soilers which break up "hard pan" at relatively deep depths. The apparatus constructed according to the present invention is provided for tilling strips of surface soil as opposed to hard pan sub-soil.
It has been found advantageous to provide seed bed preparation apparatus with a surface penetrating blade which lifts a strip of surface soil and rotatable disks which are mounted on laterally opposite sides of the ground penetrating blade. Such devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,837 issued to Jerrell W. Harden on Jun. 25, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,916 issued to Jerrell W. Harden on Feb. 12, 1980. Such devices, however, were mounted directly to a tool bar coupled to a draft vehicle. When the prior art machines are utilized to till land which is flat or level, this prior art apparatus operates acceptably, however, in fields which have unlevel, undulating terrain of different elevations, the prior art Harden devices are limited because of the inability to individually adjust and control the depth of tool penetration. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and novel strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus which is more readily adaptable to cultivating surfaces which have undulating terrain contours.
Another object of the present invention is to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus of the type described which includes a plurality of laterally spaced apart gang assemblies for preparing a plurality of laterally spaced apart, longitudinal rows of seed beds in a field having an uneven surface contour.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide strip-till seed bed preparation of the type described including a plurality of laterally spaced apart individually controllable gang assemblies, each including a chassis which is swingably mounted on a main frame and is vertically supported by depth wheels for following the contour of the surface being traversed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide strip-till, seed bed preparation of the type described which includes a chassis that follows the contour of the land and includes sub-surface, soil lifting apparatus which is mounted on the chassis for vertical movement thereon to any selected one of a plurality of vertically spaced positions so that the depth of each gang assembly can be individually controlled relative to an adjacent gang assembly.
Farmers who apply for government provided commoditity benefits may be denied such benefits if they do not comply with Farm Acts which designate certain areas as highly errodable land. In these cases, 30 percent of any residue from prior crops must remain atop the soil after the seeding is completed. Such residue, of course, normally interferes with proper seeding if allowed to remain in the seed bed. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide seed bed preparation apparatus which will lift a strip of soil and laterally outwardly propel at least a portion of surface residue and dead plant material thereon.
It is an object of the present invention to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus for tilling laterally spaced, longitudinal strips of soil for seeding including a main frame, a sub-frame swingably mounted on the main frame and supported by depth wheels which travel along the surface to cause the sub-frame to vertically follow and conform to the contour of the farm field surface.
It is another object of the present invention to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus of the type described including a chassis, a ground penetrating tillage blade swingably mounted at one end on the chassis, and yieldable reset mechanism including toggle links coupling another portion of the ground penetrating blade to the chassis for yieldably urging the blade to a forward operating position but allowing the blade to move to a tripped, inoperative position upon striking an obstruction such as a rock or the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus of the type described including a tillage knife which enters the ground to lift a strip of surface soil as the machine moves forwardly and a pair of parallel coulters which are mounted on opposite sides of the tillage knife for laterally arresting a portion of the raised strip of soil adjacent the knife and holding it against opposite sides of the blade to pulvarize the soil and form a longitudinal seed bed row.
Still another of the present invention is to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus of the type described which will leave a substantial amount of residue at the surface and till a plurality of longitudinal strips of surface soil having different, undulating contours.
Another object of the present invention is to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus of the type described which will rearwardly, upwardly swing upon striking an obstruction, such as an underground rock, and then automatically reset when the obstruction is cleared.
The prior art devices also utilize soil lifting points mounted on the lower ends of a shank which is relatively wide and of a parabolic shape which tapers in width from top to bottom to assist in pushing soil sidewise to create a slot. Such devices require a draft vehicle with substantial pulling power.
Another object of the present invention is to provide strip-till seed bed preparation apparatus of the type described including a sub-surface, soil lifting point mounted on a thin, flat tillage blade which cuts through the soil with a minimum disruption of the soil surface and thus reduce the power required to till.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.